The 280-foot Hubbard is an Alaska Class Ferry tied up in Ketchikan on January 29, 2021. It was built for $60 million by Vigor Alaska. It and its sister ship recently received new side doors at a cost of about $4.4 million. It has yet to enter service. (Photo by Eric Stone/KRBD)
An Alaska state ferry collided with another while docking in Ketchikan early Friday morning. But there were no reported injuries and only moderate damage to one of the ferries. The collision happened around 4:25 a.m. Friday morning and the Coast Guard had been notified.
That’s according to a Friday afternoon statement from the Department of Transportation which reported that the 382-foot Kennicott ferry hit the smaller Hubbard. The Kennicott just finished up service in Southeast and is heading in for a scheduled overhaul.
The 280-foot Hubbard is an Alaska Class Ferry that’s in Ketchikan for a $15 million upgrade. The work by Vigor Alaska would add crew quarters to extend the ship’s operational range and versatility before it enters service later this year.
The Kennicott fared worse with damage to the starboard side of the ship. A window was also reportedly damaged.
“AMHS does not anticipate the damage from today’s incident will impact project timelines or return to service dates for either vessel,” the agency said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, DOT had announced that Vigor Alaska had signed a contract for upgrading the Hubbard ferry. The agency also said it had awarded a $9.4 million contract to JAG at the Seward shipyard on Dec. 28 for improvements to the ferry Tustumena, the second oldest vessel in the fleet.
“This work will contribute toward extending the ship’s service life until the Tustumena Replacement Vessel (TRV) can be put into service in approximately five to six years,” the agency said.
This article has been updated.
